1. Field
The present disclosure relates to a tag label producing apparatus that produces RFID labels comprising RFID circuit elements for performing wireless communication of information with an external source.
2. Description of the Related Art
An RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) system that performs reading/writing between a small-sized RFID tag and a reader/writer (reading/writing apparatus) in a non-contact manner is known. For example, an RFID circuit element provided to a label-like RFID tag comprises an IC circuit part configured to store predetermined RFID tag information, and an antenna configured to transmit/receive information, connected to the IC circuit part. With such an arrangement, the reader/writer can access (read/write) the RFID tag information in the IC circuit part. Practical implementation is already proceeding in many fields.
Such an RFID tag is normally formed on a label-like material so as to provide an RFID circuit element thereto, and the RFID label is often adhered to a target article for classifying and organizing documents and articles, for example. Information related to the RFID tag information may thus be printed on the label separately from the RFID tag information stored internally, permitting the user to conveniently view the related information on the label. Accordingly, in prior art, a tag label producing apparatus for. producing RFID tags has been proposed from this perspective (see JP, A, 2004-82432, for example).
With the tag label producing apparatus of the prior art, labels provided with RFID circuit elements are bonded to a tape-like mount (label mount) which is made into a roll (recording medium). Printing means (a recording head) prints on the surface of the labels as the label mount is fed out from the roll, and predetermined information is written to RFID circuit elements by transmitting from a apparatus antenna (communication antenna) as the labels are being fed. RFID labels with print are thus produced continuously.
With the prior art, processing can be performed faster than in a case in which feeding is stopped in order to perform communication, as communication is performed without stopping the feeding of the RFID circuit elements. Furthermore, antennas are disposed to two locations upstream in the feeding direction, and if communication with the upstream antennas fails, communication can be retried with downstream antennas, thus making it possible to improve the communication success rate. However, providing multiple antennas raises costs and makes the apparatus larger. Also, since communication is performed without stopping the feeding even when reattempting communication, it cannot be said that there is no risk of communication failing again.
In order to avoid this, communicating after stopping the feeding when reattempting communication is possible, but depending on the feeding-stop position, there are cases in which feeding is stopped right in the middle of the printing means printing characters or symbols (i.e., in a part which is not blank). In this case, there is a risk of thin spots or small blank spaces, etc., occurring at the stop location when printing is restarted, resulting in problems such as print defects remaining on the label surface, reducing printing quality. Alternately, a need arises to correct such print defects by overlap printing (so called connection printing) the existing printed areas in order to prevent harmful effects, which entails the problem of lowering the efficiency of the label producing process.